Individual Details
Benjamin Bowman
(16 Jan 1804 - 18 Apr 1873)
Benjamin Bowman was the youngest child of his parents. His father fell dead in the yard when Benjamin Lee was a little child, as told elsewhere in these sketches.
The older children were John, the oldest, who married Perizade Ferguson, our great-grandmother's oldest sister, Daniel, Christopher, and Peter; four girls named Susannah, Fanny, Eve, and Elizabeth, all of whom were born before 1800, and the family shows a family of longevity, and we live far down the line since their day.
Our great-great Uncle John was a miller and a preacher, his brother Christopher a preacher, and his brother Daniel a deacon, all in the Dunkard Church.
When our great-grandfather Benjamin was old enough to enter school, he could speak only the language of Holland, his parents being what were called Pennsylvania Dutch. In school he was associated with Sophia Hill Ferguson, a sister of his brother John's wife. His brother John was their guardian and they were frequently thrown together till association ripened into love, and love culminated in their marriage July 15, 1826. To them were born the following children: Lucy Ann, May 29, 1827; Elizabeth Mary, June 17, 1829; Charles Chisholm, August 13, 1831; John Otea, August 25, 1833; William Edwin, April 20, 1835; Benjamin LeRoy (Lee), January 31, 1837; James Orin, February 6, 1839; Columbus Carroll, May 27, 1841; Samuel Sterling, October 27, 1843; Sophia Perizade, March 3, 1846; and Thomas Anderson, May 7, 1850, the latter on his mother's 45th birthday. All were born in Franklin County, Virginia, except the three youngest, and of these Sam and Sophia were born at Kanawha Salt Works, opposite Charleston, and Thomas at Cole's Mouth or Cole Bridge, Kanawha County, Virginia, but now known as St. Albans, West Virginia,though the Virginias were one state at that time.
Of the above children, Charles, John, William, James and Columbus all died in infancy or childhood, Charles and William dying on the same day, December 25, 1837, and John nine days later on January 3, 1838. All died of what was then called "quinsy" but now known as diphtheria. Thus was the joyous holiday season turned into one of sadness for the family, and for years to come they dreaded to see Christmas come, especially was this so of our dear great-grandmother, Sophia.
Great-grandfather Benjamin had for a long time been tending his brother John's mill, in fact since he was 18 years old, till about 1842 when he moved over to Kanawha County, in the western part of the state, now West Virginia. From Kanawha County he went to Cabell County, farther west and bordering on the Ohio and Guayandotte Rivers, to the mill owned by one Mr. Doosenberry, at or near Bloomingdale, but now known as Barborsville.
From here the family moved by boat in November 1857 down the Ohio River from Guayandotte to Cairo, Illinois, and up the Mississippi River to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Only the three younger children now remained at home, though the two older girls, now married, came with their husbands and children at the same time to Missouri and settled in Cape Girardeau County. These sons-in-law were John Chapman, a cooper by trade, and Thomas Henley, a blacksmith.
Benjamin LeRoy (Lee), the oldest living son, at this time preceded them to Missouri and married Miss Eliza Ford, and it was he who was instrumental in getting all the remainder of the family to emigrate to Missouri, where his father Benjamin had a position in a flour mill at Jackson, Missouri, awaiting him, as he had been brought up at milling from his 10th year.
He and his wife united with the Old Bethel Baptist Church (Note: March 1858 according to the Minute Book of Old Bethel Church, along with their daughters Elizabeth Mary Hanley and Lucy Ann Chapman) one and a half miles south of Jackson, of which a Mr. Canterberry was the pastor. Here his children attended with them at many services in this historic old church. (Note: This was the Rev. John Canterberry, maternal grandfather of Eliza Jane Ford.)
When the War Between the States came on, the mill at Jackson was burned and he moved to what is now Burfordville to look after the estate of the Daugherty brothers, farm and mill, but the mill had also been burned by Federal soldiers. After a few years, he moved up to the Greable mill some miles above Millersville on the Whitewater and from there, after the war, to a house on the Farmington Road, then to Pocahontas, where for years he had charge of the Pocahontas mill owned by S. M. Green and later by John D. Hatcher. Finally in 1872, he moved to Wilkinson's mill on Apple Creek in Perry County where on April 18, 1873, he died of pneumonia and was buried in old Apple Creek Cemetery at Pocahontas, age 69 years and three months.
He was a Southern man and a Democrat of the old school until the day of his death. Some years before his death, his church having gone down, he and his wife Sophia united with the Goshen Missionary Church near Oak Ridge, with which they always in hearty sympathy. He was a deacon and very much devoted to his Lord and Master. Though perhaps not without his faults, yet he was a good and true man who enjoyed the esteem of scores of friends, with few or no enemies so far as was known.
We do not know the date of his conversion, but he was often heard to say that it was while he was on the night watch at the mill on Cole River in Kanawha County in Virginia, now West Virginia, and he was kneeling beside his mill hopper praying. All at once the grinding of the mill seemed turned into the sweetest music and his soul was full of joy. He went out of the mill and the stars seemed brighter than he had ever seen them; in fact, all nature seemed to rejoice in his salvation. Of course that new music and light and joy were all in his own soul. That is old-fashioned religion, but it is the kind that he actually had. In his younger days, he was quite well-to-do, owning with his wife's share of her estate, large holdings of land and his wife's large number of slaves, but owing to a generous nature he would never refuse to stand security for those who asked him to help them, and to this one thing was due his loss of a little fortune, so that in his old days he was a poor man. Having been raised under the influence of the Dunkard Church, he would not claim any interest in the slaves his wife owned when they were married, but only acted as her overseer of these servants. He was very industrious, a characteristic of the Hollanders; a great gardener, in which he took pride, and was rewarded by having the finest garden in his community.
The following were the children of Benjamin and Sophia Ferguson Bowman:
Lucy Ann, b. May 29, 1827, in Franklin County, Va; d. March 1, 1897, at the age of 60 years, 9 months, and 2 days; m. John Chapman (a cooper by trade) on September 28, 1848. They had 3 daughters and 5 sons.She and her husband were both buried near Allenville, Missouri.
Elizabeth Mary, b. June 17, 1829, in Franklin County, Va.; m. Thomas Henley on December 23, 1849. He was a blacksmith by trade. They moved to Ohio and then on to Missouri. They had 5 children. She died on August 7, 1859.
Charles Chisholm, b. August 13, 1831, d. December 25, 1837 at the age of 6
years.
John Otea, b. August 25, 1833, d. January 3, 1838, age 4 years 5 months.
William Edwin, b. April 20, 1835; d. December 25, 1837, age 1 year 8 months.
Benjamin Leroy (Lee), b. January 31, 1837, in Franklin Co., Va.; d. March 3, 1920, at Sikeston, Mo.; m. Eliza Jane Ford on October 6, 1856, to which there were born 8 sons and 5 daughters. A Biography of him will follow later on in this history.
James Orin, b. February 6, 1839; d. In Infancy.
Columbus Carroll, b. May 27, 1841; d. In Infancy.
Samuel Sterling, b. October 27, 1843; d. 1916, m. Surrilda Abernathy on November 5, 1868. He moved to Taft, Florida, where he and his wife raised a nice family. His Biography will follow later on in this history.
Sophia Perizade, b. March 3, 1846, at the Kanawha Salt Works in Virginia, near Charleston; d. 1924; m. William H. Welker February 19, 1865. To this union there were 7 children born (Note: There were apparently 10). Her Biography will follow later.
Thomas Anderson, b. May 7, 1850, on his mother's 45th birthday, at what is known as St. Albans, Kanawha County, West Virginia, though the two Virginias were as one at that time; m. Sarah Emma Gholson on October 14, 1873; d. March 17, 1915, at Belle, Missouri; buried at Jackson, Missouri. Biography to follow.
The older children were John, the oldest, who married Perizade Ferguson, our great-grandmother's oldest sister, Daniel, Christopher, and Peter; four girls named Susannah, Fanny, Eve, and Elizabeth, all of whom were born before 1800, and the family shows a family of longevity, and we live far down the line since their day.
Our great-great Uncle John was a miller and a preacher, his brother Christopher a preacher, and his brother Daniel a deacon, all in the Dunkard Church.
When our great-grandfather Benjamin was old enough to enter school, he could speak only the language of Holland, his parents being what were called Pennsylvania Dutch. In school he was associated with Sophia Hill Ferguson, a sister of his brother John's wife. His brother John was their guardian and they were frequently thrown together till association ripened into love, and love culminated in their marriage July 15, 1826. To them were born the following children: Lucy Ann, May 29, 1827; Elizabeth Mary, June 17, 1829; Charles Chisholm, August 13, 1831; John Otea, August 25, 1833; William Edwin, April 20, 1835; Benjamin LeRoy (Lee), January 31, 1837; James Orin, February 6, 1839; Columbus Carroll, May 27, 1841; Samuel Sterling, October 27, 1843; Sophia Perizade, March 3, 1846; and Thomas Anderson, May 7, 1850, the latter on his mother's 45th birthday. All were born in Franklin County, Virginia, except the three youngest, and of these Sam and Sophia were born at Kanawha Salt Works, opposite Charleston, and Thomas at Cole's Mouth or Cole Bridge, Kanawha County, Virginia, but now known as St. Albans, West Virginia,though the Virginias were one state at that time.
Of the above children, Charles, John, William, James and Columbus all died in infancy or childhood, Charles and William dying on the same day, December 25, 1837, and John nine days later on January 3, 1838. All died of what was then called "quinsy" but now known as diphtheria. Thus was the joyous holiday season turned into one of sadness for the family, and for years to come they dreaded to see Christmas come, especially was this so of our dear great-grandmother, Sophia.
Great-grandfather Benjamin had for a long time been tending his brother John's mill, in fact since he was 18 years old, till about 1842 when he moved over to Kanawha County, in the western part of the state, now West Virginia. From Kanawha County he went to Cabell County, farther west and bordering on the Ohio and Guayandotte Rivers, to the mill owned by one Mr. Doosenberry, at or near Bloomingdale, but now known as Barborsville.
From here the family moved by boat in November 1857 down the Ohio River from Guayandotte to Cairo, Illinois, and up the Mississippi River to Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Only the three younger children now remained at home, though the two older girls, now married, came with their husbands and children at the same time to Missouri and settled in Cape Girardeau County. These sons-in-law were John Chapman, a cooper by trade, and Thomas Henley, a blacksmith.
Benjamin LeRoy (Lee), the oldest living son, at this time preceded them to Missouri and married Miss Eliza Ford, and it was he who was instrumental in getting all the remainder of the family to emigrate to Missouri, where his father Benjamin had a position in a flour mill at Jackson, Missouri, awaiting him, as he had been brought up at milling from his 10th year.
He and his wife united with the Old Bethel Baptist Church (Note: March 1858 according to the Minute Book of Old Bethel Church, along with their daughters Elizabeth Mary Hanley and Lucy Ann Chapman) one and a half miles south of Jackson, of which a Mr. Canterberry was the pastor. Here his children attended with them at many services in this historic old church. (Note: This was the Rev. John Canterberry, maternal grandfather of Eliza Jane Ford.)
When the War Between the States came on, the mill at Jackson was burned and he moved to what is now Burfordville to look after the estate of the Daugherty brothers, farm and mill, but the mill had also been burned by Federal soldiers. After a few years, he moved up to the Greable mill some miles above Millersville on the Whitewater and from there, after the war, to a house on the Farmington Road, then to Pocahontas, where for years he had charge of the Pocahontas mill owned by S. M. Green and later by John D. Hatcher. Finally in 1872, he moved to Wilkinson's mill on Apple Creek in Perry County where on April 18, 1873, he died of pneumonia and was buried in old Apple Creek Cemetery at Pocahontas, age 69 years and three months.
He was a Southern man and a Democrat of the old school until the day of his death. Some years before his death, his church having gone down, he and his wife Sophia united with the Goshen Missionary Church near Oak Ridge, with which they always in hearty sympathy. He was a deacon and very much devoted to his Lord and Master. Though perhaps not without his faults, yet he was a good and true man who enjoyed the esteem of scores of friends, with few or no enemies so far as was known.
We do not know the date of his conversion, but he was often heard to say that it was while he was on the night watch at the mill on Cole River in Kanawha County in Virginia, now West Virginia, and he was kneeling beside his mill hopper praying. All at once the grinding of the mill seemed turned into the sweetest music and his soul was full of joy. He went out of the mill and the stars seemed brighter than he had ever seen them; in fact, all nature seemed to rejoice in his salvation. Of course that new music and light and joy were all in his own soul. That is old-fashioned religion, but it is the kind that he actually had. In his younger days, he was quite well-to-do, owning with his wife's share of her estate, large holdings of land and his wife's large number of slaves, but owing to a generous nature he would never refuse to stand security for those who asked him to help them, and to this one thing was due his loss of a little fortune, so that in his old days he was a poor man. Having been raised under the influence of the Dunkard Church, he would not claim any interest in the slaves his wife owned when they were married, but only acted as her overseer of these servants. He was very industrious, a characteristic of the Hollanders; a great gardener, in which he took pride, and was rewarded by having the finest garden in his community.
The following were the children of Benjamin and Sophia Ferguson Bowman:
Lucy Ann, b. May 29, 1827, in Franklin County, Va; d. March 1, 1897, at the age of 60 years, 9 months, and 2 days; m. John Chapman (a cooper by trade) on September 28, 1848. They had 3 daughters and 5 sons.She and her husband were both buried near Allenville, Missouri.
Elizabeth Mary, b. June 17, 1829, in Franklin County, Va.; m. Thomas Henley on December 23, 1849. He was a blacksmith by trade. They moved to Ohio and then on to Missouri. They had 5 children. She died on August 7, 1859.
Charles Chisholm, b. August 13, 1831, d. December 25, 1837 at the age of 6
years.
John Otea, b. August 25, 1833, d. January 3, 1838, age 4 years 5 months.
William Edwin, b. April 20, 1835; d. December 25, 1837, age 1 year 8 months.
Benjamin Leroy (Lee), b. January 31, 1837, in Franklin Co., Va.; d. March 3, 1920, at Sikeston, Mo.; m. Eliza Jane Ford on October 6, 1856, to which there were born 8 sons and 5 daughters. A Biography of him will follow later on in this history.
James Orin, b. February 6, 1839; d. In Infancy.
Columbus Carroll, b. May 27, 1841; d. In Infancy.
Samuel Sterling, b. October 27, 1843; d. 1916, m. Surrilda Abernathy on November 5, 1868. He moved to Taft, Florida, where he and his wife raised a nice family. His Biography will follow later on in this history.
Sophia Perizade, b. March 3, 1846, at the Kanawha Salt Works in Virginia, near Charleston; d. 1924; m. William H. Welker February 19, 1865. To this union there were 7 children born (Note: There were apparently 10). Her Biography will follow later.
Thomas Anderson, b. May 7, 1850, on his mother's 45th birthday, at what is known as St. Albans, Kanawha County, West Virginia, though the two Virginias were as one at that time; m. Sarah Emma Gholson on October 14, 1873; d. March 17, 1915, at Belle, Missouri; buried at Jackson, Missouri. Biography to follow.
Events
| Birth | 16 Jan 1804 | Wirtz, Franklin, VA |  | ||
| Marriage | 15 Jul 1826 | , Franklin, VA - Sophia Hill Ferguson |  | ||
| Death | 18 Apr 1873 | from phneumonia - , Perry, MO | |||
| Burial | Apple Creek Cemetery, Apple Creek, Cape Girardeau, MO |
Families
| Spouse | Sophia Hill Ferguson (1805 - 1896) |
| Child | Lucy Ann Bowman (1827 - 1897) |
| Child | Elizabeth Mary "Betsy" Bowman (1829 - 1859) |
| Child | Charles Chisholm Bowman (1831 - 1837) |
| Child | John Otea Bowman (1833 - 1838) |
| Child | William Edwin Bowman (1835 - 1837) |
| Child | Benjamin Leroy "Lee" Bowman (1837 - 1920) |
| Child | James Orin Bowman (1839 - ) |
| Child | Columbus Carroll Bowman (1841 - ) |
| Child | Samuel Sterling Bowman (1843 - 1916) |
| Child | Sophia Perizade Bowman (1846 - 1924) |
| Child | Thomas Anderson Bowman (1850 - 1915) |
| Father | John Bowman Senior (1765 - 1804) |
| Mother | Elizabeth Sarah Eichenberg (1766 - 1830) |
| Sibling | John Bowman Junior (1783 - 1871) |
| Sibling | Susannah Bowman (1787 - 1863) |
| Sibling | Living |
| Sibling | Peter Bowman (1786 - 1850) |
| Sibling | Frances "Fanny" Bowman (1788 - 1858) |
| Sibling | Christian Bowman Senior (1791 - 1867) |
| Sibling | Eva Bowman (1793 - 1833) |
| Sibling | Daniel Bowman Senior (1795 - 1883) |
Notes
Marriage
Benjamin Bowman and Sophia Ferguson were wed on the 10th according to James Denlinger.Endnotes
1. Denlinger, James. Emal: jmding@aol.com.